RFK hammered in Senate over bizarre anti-vaxx policies

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced an intense grilling from Democratic senators Ron Wyden and Mark Warner during a Senate hearing over his record on vaccines and the politicisation of independent scientific committees last week.

In this cutdown, Kennedy is pressed on decisions that critics say could undermine public health, including his move to remove respected scientists from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices and replace them with vaccine sceptics and figures linked to conspiracy theories. Wyden and Warner accuse Kennedy of jeopardising children’s health by weakening trust in vaccines that protect against measles, mumps, hepatitis B, RSV, and more.

Wyden challenges Kennedy on reports that he pressured officials to “go along” with vaccine recommendations regardless of the science, while Warner highlights the dangers of Kennedy’s appointees, including Dr Robert Malone, who falsely claimed that mRNA vaccines “cause a form of AIDS.” Both senators argue that Kennedy’s actions put ideology before evidence, with potentially deadly consequences.

Kennedy, however, defends his choices, insisting the old advisory panels were riddled with conflicts of interest tied to pharmaceutical companies. He frames his overhaul as an attempt to restore transparency and independence, dismissing mainstream medical bodies such as the American Academy of Pediatrics as compromised.

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